Because the closing weeks of the 2021 season, Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett has received his justifiable share of much-deserved popularity of his excellence, consistency, and reliability each on and off the sector.
Together with being nominated as Seattle’s representative for the Walter Payton Man of the Yr Award and recently learning he can be inducted into Kansas State’s Ring of Honor this fall, he received an Emmy Award for his Through The Ashes: The Story of Black Wall Street documentary. Further adding to his growing trophy case, he was named Seattle Sports Star of the Yr on the annual banquet on Thursday night.
But despite the accolades and increased recognition, a minimum of from a football perspective, Lockett one way or the other still stays a criminally underrated commodity compared to other top-flight receivers. And make no mistake about it – he firmly belongs within the discussion as certainly one of the NFL’s elite.
Because the start of the 2019 season, Lockett has produced a trio of 1,000-yard seasons consecutively, joining legendary Hall of Fame wideout Steve Largent as only the second Seahawk to attain the feat in franchise history. He also posted the very best single-season mark for receptions (100) in 2020, continuing to etch his name within the record books.
Nonetheless, to actually understand his ignored greatness, Lockett’s numbers have to be examined compared to the remaining of the league.
Because the start of the 2019 season, Lockett stands out because the only receiver within the NFL with a minimum of 70 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns in each of the past three seasons. He’s certainly one of one. Out of the 26 seasons with such numbers collectively, superstar receivers Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp were the one others who achieved those marks twice in that very same span.
Further demonstrating his remarkable efficiency, in accordance with Pro Football Reference, Lockett produced a catch rate of a minimum of 68 percent in all three of those seasons. Combining those impressive catch rates along with his receptions, receiving yardage, and touchdown totals, only 11 other seasons matching those numbers happened in all the league from 2019 to 2021.
Making these statistics over an prolonged time frame all of the more remarkable, a big percentage of Lockett’s production over time has come on downfield throws, which generally have a lower hit rate. Quarterback Russell Wilson deserves a few of the credit for his deep passing prowess, but over the past three years, Lockett’s seven touchdown receptions of 40-plus yards ranks third within the league behind only A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill.
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Collectively, over the past 4 seasons, Lockett is certainly one of just 4 receivers with a minimum of 4,200 receiving yards, 200 receptions, and 36 touchdowns. He hit these marks on a minimum of 60 less targets than the opposite three receivers on the list.
An artist working his magic on the sector along with his cleats relatively than the comb of a paint stroke every Sunday, Lockett combines remarkable body control with exquisite footwork, elite hand-eye coordination and tracking skills, and soft, ever-so-reliable hands. In his seven NFL seasons, he has developed a penchant for making difficult catches look routine and by way of entertainment value, few wideouts have assembled a greater highlight reel.
Yet, even considering his lofty production and proclivity for reeling in jaw-dropping catches week in and week out starring for playoff-bound teams, Lockett has never garnered anywhere near the respect he deserves as certainly one of the premier receivers in the sport on a national level.
After being chosen to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2015, Lockett hasn’t been named to the squad once previously six seasons, including his three straight years eclipsing the century mark. While he has three All-Pro selections on his resume, each of them got here in his first three seasons as a kick/punt return specialist.
Since a breakout 2018 season when he produced a then career-high 965 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, Lockett is amongst a select group of seven receivers with two or more seasons of 70-plus receptions, 1000-plus receiving yards, and eight-plus touchdown receptions. Out of that group, he’s the one player who hasn’t been named to a minimum of one Pro Bowl, while five of them have been chosen multiple seasons.
Moreover, Lockett and Mike Evans of the Buccaneers are the one two players amongst those seven who have not received All-Pro recognition a single time in that four-year period. Adams, Hill, and Saints star Michael Thomas have received First-Team accolades twice, while Kupp and Bills standout Stefon Diggs earned the excellence once apiece.
Humble and reserved, Lockett has been on the record quite a few times indicating he doesn’t play the sport for individual acclamation. He’s a well-rounded superstar athlete who prioritizes contributing any way he can for the Seahawks to win and helping others, standing out as the proper role model for young people to emulate. Those within the Pacific Northwest understand his true value as a player and person.
With that said, considering how favorably his numbers stack up – and sometimes exceed – those of other top-tier receivers, it is a shame Lockett has not been chosen to the Pro Bowl or been honored as an All-Pro recipient a single time during his current string of dominance against opposing secondaries. Assuming he continues to post quality numbers without Wilson under center, one can only hope voters right a incorrect in future seasons and reward one the sport’s best as he rightfully deserves.
